U.S. intermodal traffic rose 3% for the week ended Saturday from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic rose 4.4% to 189,228 units, while trailer traffic slipped 4.8% to 30,478 units.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal rose 5.5% to 298,560 units, the rail trade group said in its weekly report.
Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-valued merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.